Pro Bono: New sod for RayJay after U2 concert

There are so, so many options for bad U2 puns in this blog entry. Given a little more space, I might have gone with "Friday Muddy Friday," or perhaps "Where the Fields Have No Hashmarks."

With USF football preparing for a huge home game against No. 8 Cincinnati on Thursday, some of you have written in concern about tonight's U2 concert at Raymond James Stadium.

Fear not, Bulls fans: RayJay will get a brand-new sod this weekend, as the Tampa Sports Authority's Mickey Farrell said there is "extensive damage from the concert" expected on the playing field. What's more, it won't cost TSA or USF a dime -- the concert's promoter, Live Nation, is picking up the tab for the new grass, which runs about $75,000 according to Farrell. (See, now the Pro Bono makes a little more sense, mispronunciation aside.)

TSA typically will re-sod the high-traffic middle of the field between the hashmarks during the season, but a wall-to-wall job like this is rare. The new sod -- it's called Celebration Bermuda -- will start going down on Saturday morning, though Farrell said the extensive U2 set won't be completely gone until Sunday night, so he's optimistic the re-sodding will be complete by Monday evening, giving it a full three days before the Bulls and Bearcats kick off.

One more note -- the field will be painted for USF -- both end zones, and the USF logo in the middle of the field. None of that whited-out Bucs flag with a tiny "U" inside it ...

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